Reckoning in the Goblin Market

Far from the market's outskirts.

A towering pillar of light erupted from the warehouse district, followed by a rumbling earthquake.

Kurrr...

"W-what the hell is that?"

"Oh my. Looks like someone's clashing out there."

"Let's get out of here first. Who knows who'll cause more trouble."

"What are the security forces even doing? Chaos is breaking out everywhere!"

Merchants hurriedly folded their stalls while customers rushed away. The sluggish security forces finally sprang into action, belatedly realizing something had gone terribly wrong.

'Damn it...! What the hell are those Myeongga bastards doing?'

'They said all I had to do was look the other way for a bit!'

'What now? If this gets reported upstairs and the Drug King finds out, we're finished!'

Of course, the security forces had only covered up the Myeongga and Blue Dog investigation because they'd been bribed. Since this was just a small Korean market that didn't concern the Drug King or other cartel executives, they'd felt safe committing such corruption.

But once open conflict erupted, everything changed. The incident would inevitably reach higher-ups. If an internal investigation exposed their corruption... execution would be the least of their worries. The Drug King cherished his subordinates like family, but he punished betrayers without mercy.

Whiiish! Whish!

They needed to clean up the mess before the inspector arrived, but...

'Eek!'

'W-when did she get here...!'

'D-did they have a gate connected here from Mexico too...?'

Camila Duarte, the inspector who had been away at headquarters, now stood in the ruined butcher shop district.

Born to a South American father and Korean mother, she was a "pureblood" who had been with the Drug King since his days at the bottom.

"I see! Ah, is that so? My, that must have been frustrating. Myeongga really is terrible, isn't it?"

Camila listened to Han Hyun-soo's rambling with her characteristically vibrant South American features, reassuring him.

He was one of the few survivors rescued from the butcher shop.

'...This place is a wreck.'

'What on earth happened here?'

The security forces who arrived late swallowed dryly. The traces left behind weren't from any ordinary fight.

This was devastation that could only be wrought by overwhelming firepower sweeping through like a typhoon. With so many brutally killed, it was clear the culprit was someone exceptionally cruel.

"Aah, of course. Don't worry too much. I've understood everything you've said, Representative Han. I'll make sure your statement is taken into consideration. You trust me, right?"

Camila winked at Han Hyun-soo before casually gesturing for her subordinates to drag the survivors away.

She'd heard the story about Myeongga coveting Feng Jinghao's goods. But too many inconsistencies needed verification.

"I-Inspector..."

"Ah, you still had over a month left before returning to Korea. What brings you back so early?"

"Right. I was planning to stop by Cancun for some surfing while I was in Mexico... but some idiots forced me to rush through an emergency gate."

"...!"

"Just a moment. Let me have a smoke first."

The security forces remained tense until Camila pulled a thick cigar from her inner pocket and placed it between her lips.

"Phew... I haven't had one in over thirty hours. I was dying. Now I can breathe again, boys."

Camila's sharp gaze turned to the officers.

"I'm genuinely curious. Is stuffing your back pockets anything like smoking cigars? That hard to quit?"

The officers dropped to the ground, prostrating themselves.

"W-we're sorry!"

"We'll correct our ways, Inspector!"

"Please forgive us...!"

Their pleas for mercy went unfinished. Red lines suddenly appeared across their throats, and their heads rolled across the floor.

Fwoooosh!

Over a dozen fountains of blood sprayed upward. Beneath them, crimson-dyed magic threads gleamed.

The entire area was filled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with threads woven from mana.

'Arachne' Camila Duarte, head of the Black Market's Korean branch and inspector for the Asia-Pacific region, muttered indifferently.

"If you were going to beg for forgiveness, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. Being stupid gets your head cut off."

Camila retrieved her magic threads and turned toward the market outskirts. Thanks to the subordinates who had returned with her from Korea, the chaos quickly subsided, but the warehouse district remained an active situation.

She needed to find the cause there as well.

"Aigoo, when will I ever get to rest? I hate troublesome things. My back hurts too."

Camila made a distinctly Korean expression despite her foreign features.

"The Myeongga Guild Master... Tsk, I'd better wrap this up before it gets complicated."

Whirrr!

Camila swiftly departed along the path created by her magic threads.

"Haa...!"

Jang Lee-hyun looked down at the limp Go Jin-woo with a heavy heart.

Right after detonating Yoon Gi-hoon in the middle of the warehouse filled with Myeongga Guild members, Jang Lee-hyun had used stealth to infiltrate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the warehouse and successfully extracted the bloodied Go Jin-woo.

Fortunately, they hadn't bothered hiding him and were interrogating him in the center of the warehouse.

How painful it had been to see Go Jin-woo like that...

The surging killing intent had nearly broken his stealth.

「They turned him into a complete rag.」

「This carries strong malice and purpose. It wasn't just punishment for touching their belongings. They were trying to extract something...」

Sa Oh-jeong used curse incantations to stop Go Jin-woo's bleeding and prevent his wounds from worsening, then tilted his head.

"What do you mean by purpose?"

「Look at these wounds here. These were meant to heighten pain and instill fear. That means there was another objective.」

At Sa Oh-jeong's observation, Jang Lee-hyun's eyes sank deeply.

"If it was another objective, were they trying to find out about his backer?"

「Possibly, but it seems they were searching for something.」

"Searching for something?"

At that moment, something flashed through Jang Lee-hyun's mind.

'The fossil egg.'

It had been called [■Be■■ ■■■r's Fossil]. Its exact purpose was unknown, but Heo Se-un had seemed to treasure it greatly.

What if they had been trying to find that?

And what if Go Jin-woo had endured this without mentioning Jang Lee-hyun?

"Jang... Hyun... you stupid bastard... Because of you... I ended up like this..."

"...!?"

Just then, Go Jin-woo muttered in his sleep.

His voice was utterly exhausted.

"So... don't... come... you bastard... If you... get hurt... I won't... be able to face... Soo-chan..."

"..."

Then his voice faded again.

Sa Oh-jeong checked his pulse and sighed.

「He seems to have fallen into a deep sleep and dreamed momentarily. He probably couldn't rest properly while being interrogated.」

"..."

「Apostle, are you all right?」

"No. I'm not."

Beyond the Kairees mask, Jang Lee-hyun's eyes grew cold.

"...Idiot. Why didn't he just say the damn name?"

Jang Lee-hyun voiced his complaint—not quite resentment—toward Go Jin-woo before speaking to Sun Wukong and Sa Oh-jeong.

"Please take care of him."

Jang Lee-hyun set up a curse incantation for cognitive disruption around them, then slowly rose to his feet.

"Aaaagh! My eyes! My eyeeees...!"

"My arm! My arrrrm!"

"It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hurts... It hurts so much..."

The warehouse district had already become a living hell.

Of the forty-plus guild members gathered in one place, three-tenths had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been reduced to ashes by the explosion.

The remaining seven-tenths were pierced or severed by the lightning tendrils of the white tide, screaming in agony.

But the biggest problem was this:

The curse incantations plastered throughout the warehouse district.

This was the terrifying aspect of the third magic Jang Lee-hyun had created—the white tide.

The curse stacking left behind after the explosion.

Individually, they seemed insignificant with weak effects, but layered together, they rivaled a grand curse.

And then—

Tap!

Jang Lee-hyun struck the Rune Staff against the ground.

Chrrrrrrk!

The lightning fragments floating in the air connected, forming over a dozen lightning chains.

The sight of them sharpening their ends like harpoons and raining down all at once was spectacular.

Of course, the result was the stench of blood.

Thud! Thud-thud!

"Kuhk!"

"W-where is this attack coming from...!"

"Damn it, I can't see! The sound is weird too... Aaaagh!"

"Let go! Let go, I said... Kuhk!"

"Save..."

The lightning chains shattered the survivors' heads one by one.

They slithered like snakes through the tiny gaps between helmets and armor, piercing the napes of their necks.

The same method Jang Lee-hyun had used when hunting zombie monkeys with the magic gun after his mana circuits froze.

If he couldn't finish them off in one blow due to their defense, he would drag in more chains and bury them in curses, leaving them to suffer and die slowly.

"Run!!"

Those who tried to flee were pursued even faster by the lightning chains.

Thuuud!!

"Damn it! Where are you! Stop hiding and come out right now!"

Those who tried to resist became even easier prey.

No one could escape Jang Lee-hyun's demonic grasp.

Sun Wukong on the Buddha's palm.

That idiom described them perfectly.

Fwoooosh!

「Senior Brother, isn't our Apostle a bit too excited? Was the Fiery Golden Eyes always this powerful...?」

Sa Oh-jeong tried to dissuade Sun Wukong with a bewildered expression, but—

「The Fiery Golden Eyes? Of course it's powerful. It was a sacred relic used by someone extraordinary. But what's even more extraordinary is that guy.」

「Senior Brother.」

「He's reorganizing all his skills and sacred relic functions around the Fiery Golden Eyes.」

「...」

「Right now, he's probably angrier than anyone in the world, yet his mind is colder than anyone's.」

「...!」

「Otherwise, he couldn't possibly be acting and calculating like that. Look over there.」

Just as Sa Oh-jeong turned to look at the warehouse district where Sun Wukong pointed—

"How dare you do this in my presence...!!"

A tremendous gust of wind erupted from the center of the collapsed warehouse district, deflecting all the lightning chains.

Krrrrrrng!

At its center stood Heo Se-un.

His entire body was half-burned from being caught in the white tide, a miserable sight.

"There you are! I won't forgive you!!"

With a face twisted like a vengeful ghost, Heo Se-un kicked off the ground the moment he spotted Jang Lee-hyun.

Shhhheeeeek—

But Jang Lee-hyun showed no sign of panic, merely pointing the Rune Staff at Heo Se-un.

「Does that look like the work of a beginner who's only recently started handling curses?」

「...That can't be possible.」

Sa Oh-jeong thought that even Sun Wukong's cold yet faintly excited assessment of Jang Lee-hyun was remarkably similar to the man himself.

At that moment, Jang Lee-hyun raised the Rune Staff high.

As if Heo Se-un wasn't even worth speaking to.

「I always thought he had exceptional talent as a warrior, but maybe his real talent lies in 'instinct.'」

「Instinct?」

「Yes. Instinct. The intuition to always derive victory quickly, no matter what class he chooses or how he fights.」

「...!」

Chrrrrrrk!

Over a dozen lightning chains began coiling like pretzels above Jang Lee-hyun's head.

「That instinct lets him draw out each sacred relic's function to its absolute limit. He realized that the Fiery Golden Eyes aren't just for [eyes]—when connected to the thought domain and linked to instinct, they can maximize the Golden Body Arhat's abilities.」

It was like a dozen giant serpents dancing across the sky, intertwining to become a dragon.

「And that's not all. He instinctively knows how to combine curse incantations so his skills manifest in multiple ways. When he's a warrior, he combines them for a warrior. When he's a mage, he combines them for a mage.」

「...」

「Every time he obtains something new, his instinct grows. His sense of victory grows with it. I've never seen talent like that.」

Talent that wasn't bound by class or type, only pursuing victory and igniting fighting spirit.

The quality of someone who never considered defeat, only the goal reachable through struggle.

The indomitable capacity that wouldn't break under any humiliation or adversity.

Therefore—

Jang Lee-hyun had no need for distinctions like warrior or mage.

They were merely tools used to achieve the goal of victory.

People born with such innate talent, quality, and capacity were called this:

'...A genius.'

Sa Oh-jeong swallowed dryly once more.

In his hundreds of years as an immortal, he had only ever seen one person worthy of being called a 'genius' in this world...

At that moment—

The completed giant chain became a lightning bolt and fell upon Heo Se-un's head just as he reached Jang Lee-hyun.

Flash!

Krrrrrrng!!

「This mage life he started to hide his identity might end up helping him even more in the future.」

Sun Wukong stroked his chin with a twisted smile.

「Should I shower him with techniques from other chief gods besides Zeus or Shiva? I wonder what kind of monster will be born.」

The lightning bolt instantly shattered Heo Se-un's mana. He was flung backward with an incredulous expression, rolling across the ground.

"Kuhk...!"

It took only a single strike.

The number of attacks needed to break all of Heo Se-un's limbs.

「...Isn't that exactly what you're describing, Senior Brother?」

Sa Oh-jeong had to look back and forth between the identical Sun Wukong and Jang Lee-hyun, forcibly swallowing what he wanted to say.

「But one more hit is needed. Just one more.」

The moment Sa Oh-jeong was about to ask what was missing—

Chrrrrk—

The lightning split back into over a dozen chains and pierced Heo Se-un's limbs and torso.

The sparks that followed became smaller lightning tendrils, relentlessly pounding the ground.

Fwoooosh!

Rumble—

In the warehouse district where not a single intact corpse remained—

"How... could this... happen...? Who... are you...!"

Only Heo Se-un remained, completely charred, one arm torn off, his original face unrecognizable.

He was tightly bound by lightning chains, like a puppet hanging from strings.

Still facing the silent Jang Lee-hyun, he forced out a scream.

This was arrogance.

Mockery—or contempt—that they weren't even worthy of seeing his face or hearing his voice.

Was he Go Jin-woo's backer?

Or something else...?

He wanted an answer before dying, but—

As if Heo Se-un's final wish didn't matter—

The gathered lightning struck like a hammer, shattering his head to pieces.

Thuuud!!